


Checkmate

by Qille



Series: Kings and Queens [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Character building, Gen, junkertown - Freeform, the Plan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 18:52:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11880660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qille/pseuds/Qille
Summary: Roadhog has a pleasant conversation with the Queen of Junkertown.





	Checkmate

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I know the Junker short just came out yesterday and we still don't know anything about the Queen yet, so I'm going to throw my theory out there before anything actually canon is revealed.

The Queen sat alone in her throne room, her eyes closed. She was waiting, thinking about what needed to be done to fix the problem. Hopefully the guest she was waiting for would provide her with a solution. 

Several minutes later, she heard the doors to her throne room open and close, and a set of slow, heavy footsteps made their way towards her.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she opened her eyes and stood, smiling coldly at her least favorite Enforcer. 

“Good morning, Roadhog,” she said, her voice steady and low. 

Roadhog gave a small bow.

The Queen continued to glare at him, her smile not reaching her eyes. 

“From what I hear,” she said, “you've started working for somebody else. Somebody who has caused quite a lot of trouble around here.”

Roadhog was still for a moment before nodded. 

“I've been told that he found a treasure, and he promised you half of it in exchange for your service,” continued the Queen, her forced smile slowly falling from her face.

Roadhog nodded again. 

The Queen glared at him. “There are a lot of people who want to get their hands on this treasure, I assume. You must already know what it is, or I doubt you would be working for him.”

Roadhog didn't respond. The Queen stepped down from the platform on which her throne sat and began to slowly pace. She was nearly as tall as Roadhog; he knew that she often used her height to intimidate those below her, both figuratively and literally. 

“Did you know that it's considered treason to withhold information from your Queen?” she asked quietly as she began to stalk in a circle around him. Roadhog couldn't help but be reminded of the wild creatures that stalked the wasteland, savage and intelligent. 

“I'm not angry that you've left my service,” continued the Queen. “You know how I've always felt about you. If you want to continue acting a bodyguard for a child and his treasure, be my guest. But while you remain here, you are under my domain. I would even go so far as to say that his treasure actually belongs to me...”

She stopped pacing and stared at him for a long moment before turning and stepping back up to stand in front of her throne.

“I've worked hard to keep this town from collapsing. To keep my subjects from killing one another. I built a city from the ashes you left us.” There was a sharp bite to her voice now.

“Junkertown is held together by a precarious balance of power,” she continued. “The addition of this mysterious treasure risks tipping the scales. Junkers have a love of money and power that outweighs their fear of death. You know this. I can't stop my people from killing you and Junkrat, and however strong you think you are, you can't hold off everybody. You will fail, you will both die, and somebody else will get the treasure and start the cycle of violence and murder and treason all over again.”

She could tell by the slight change in his body language that he was wondering what her point was. 

“You have two choices. Either hand the treasure over to me and continue to live here in relative peace, or refuse me and be exiled. Think about it. You've been in my service for over twenty years. You have power and protection. Is it really worth giving it all up because of him?”

Roadhog was perfectly still, as if he had been turned to stone. The Queen couldn't even see him breathing. 

“I'll make a deal with you,” said the Queen after a few minutes. “You know where his treasure is hidden. Bring it to me, and I'll welcome you back with open arms. I'll even make you head Enforcer. And the best part is... I won't kill him. Order will be restored, and both of you will be safe.”

The room went silent. Roadhog was still for a full minute before he slowly looked up at her. He shook his head. 

The room seemed to get colder. 

“So be it,” the Queen whispered, her voice cold as ice. “If you won't reason with me, then I'll give you this chance to leave peacefully. Otherwise, I'll have my _loyal_ Enforcers kill both of you in the slowest, most painful way I can imagine. Take Junkrat and leave, and if I ever see either of you here again, I will show no mercy. I will show no restraint. I will kill both of you myself. Do you understand?”

Roadhog gave another low, almost mocking bow, and turned to leave. He was almost at the doors before the Queen spoke again.

“Why are you so loyal to him?” she demanded, her voice echoing through the room. Roadhog stopped and turned to face her.

“Why?” she repeated. “Why are you so willing to give up the life you've led for over twenty years? Why are you so willing to be exiled from your home for him?”

Roadhog slowly looked down at the ground. Angered by his silence, the Queen began to move closer to him. 

“Is it because he reminds you of your daughter?”

Roadhog instantly became tense, and the Queen smiled malevolently. 

“The daughter that you killed,” she continued, her words venomous. “I bet you're glad that she died when you turned our world into a scorched wasteland. You're lucky. Can you imagine what it would have been like? To watch her choke on radioactive dust with every breath? To watch her vomit up blood after drinking poisoned water? To watch her deteriorate into insanity, to the point where she doesn't even recognize her own parents? To see her grow up in this pile of shit town full of criminals, not even knowing who you are?”

The Queen stopped, nearly choking on her words. She was breathing hard. 

“My family and I lost our home to the Omnics too, but we moved on. Until you came along and destroyed everything. You lost your child quickly, in one single moment. I lost mine slowly, over years. He tortures me every day that he's still alive. I would be happy to kill him, just to end his suffering...”

She took a quiet, steadying breath. Roadhog hadn't moved.

“You were smart, killing your daughter before she had the chance to suffer. I see right through you, Mako. You're glad she's dead.”

Roadhog moved quickly, but the Queen moved faster. Before he could even get a finger on his hook, she had a four foot long harpoon gun aimed at his chest. Her eyes were full of fire, almost begging him to give her a reason to shoot. 

“Tell me,” she growled, her voice a deadly whisper. “Why are you so loyal to him?”

There was silence. Then Roadhog took a deep breath.

“Because he's my friend,” he said.

“Get out,” snarled the Queen, not moving.

Without another word, Roadhog turned and left.

The Queen waited ten minutes before calling in two of her Enforcers. She sent them to make sure Roadhog and Junkrat were escorted out of town with haste. 

“And make sure to lock the doors behind them,” she shouted as an afterthought as her Enforcers left.

The Enforcers left to go throw the two ex-Junkers out of town, and the Queen was left alone. Taking a deep breath, she turned and walked into her private chambers, closing and locking the door behind her.

She sat down and looked at the small picture she always kept in her pocket. Her own face, twenty years younger, smiled back up at her, along with the three year old boy sitting on her lap. 

She closed her eyes, remembering the day their world ended. The sky was black, debris and ash were falling, the world was burning.

_“Jamie! Where are you?”_

Their home had burned up. She still had radiation burns on her back from when she had grabbed her child and protected him from the blast. 

It was something she only allowed herself to think about when she was alone. When she was strong. 

She looked at the picture again. He used to have green eyes. He also used to be right-handed. She stared at the picture of her son until it was burned into her mind.

Her thoughts returned to the present. Roadhog and Junkrat were gone. The problem had been fixed. The king and his knight had left the board, and the Queen had won the game.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and put the picture away, wishing, as she did whenever she had a chance, that her son was dead. 

**XXX**

Roadhog sat on the ground, staring at the closed gates of Junkertown. Next to him, Junkrat was fuming and ranting, but Roadhog couldn't blame him. As he paced and plotted, Roadhog couldn't help but look at him differently.

It had taken more than twenty years, but he had finally figured out the Queen's secret.


End file.
